We condemn it

The mayhem was widespread. Many people sustained injuries and groaned in pain as a stray bullet killed a schoolboy and a young man died in police firing later on.

The nationwide shock at the killing of Ahsanullah Master bore testimony to his standing with the people. He rose from the ranks to become a front-ranking labour leader and legislator who commanded respect across the board. We strongly condemn the killing and express our sympathy for the members of the slain leader's family.

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The premeditated heinous attack on him speaks of the free rein the dark forces are allowed to have in our politics today. The hit men strike at the place and time of their choosing.

The government has promptly issued a press note holding internal feud in the AL responsible for the murder, while the AL chief and the party's general secretary have dubbed it as part of the ruling alliance's 'conspiracy' or 'plan' to liquidate AL leaders. Such a quick attribution on the part of the government leads us to think that the administration is certain who the murderers are? If that be the case, more information should be shared with the public; otherwise it is likely to be misconstrued as part of the blame game we see.

When a murder of such diabolical proportions is committed, what automatically surges on to the forefront is the supreme need for a truly professional investigation to be conducted into it. Any kind of knee-jerk reaction translated into instant finger-pointing at perceived 'killers' must be regarded as a distraction at best, and a move prejudicial to inquest at worst. Truth can't be a matter of recriminatory conjectures; it has to be one of substantiation.

The killing of the MP created highly chaotic scenes in Tongi and Gazipur. The offices of the BNP and its front organisations were set on fire and the angry mob tried to uproot railway tracks after they had set railway compartments ablaze. They also swooped on at least 50 vehicles. The road link between Tongi and Gazipur remained cut off for several hours. The reaction to the killing was frenzied, to say the least. Far from being respectful of the deceased, such an instance of wreaking havoc on public property and life cannot be condoned whatever the pretext.

It is indeed a matter of concern that political killing is taking place more frequently than ever. This might be construed as the result of the sharp slide in law and order. The government cannot evade the responsibility of having failed to contain the lawlessness. It has set up speedy trial courts, but the courts are dealing by and large with non-political cases. The recent political killings should awaken the government to the need for speedy disposal of political murder cases. We want Ahsanullah Master's killers to be identified and brought to justice without any delay.